The countdown to Splatoon 2 is approaching zero, and the evidence is everywhere online. There are tons of exclusive reviews out there already, it being one of the Switch’s biggest hits in its early infancy. But with all that 4v4 action incoming so soon, let’s shift the focus just a little to the right and see what’s going on outside Inkopolis.

You’ll likely have heard that there’s a Splatoon comic series. These stories are mostly just a few panels in length and feature the Inklings getting into some goofy, typical high school anime-like situations. That may not be your favorite genre, but imagine it with splats of color and squid kids and that vibrant, almost street art style Splatoon evokes. You can judge yea or nay for yourself once the comic’s release in English via Viz Media.

Stay tuned for an actual release date on that, but expect it sooner rather than later. In fact, there’s a good chance it’ll hit publication alongside the Splatoon anime series – yes, an anime series. Okay, okay, calm down, allow me to explain. The online-only anime will premiere on CoroCoro magazine’s Youtube channel around August 12 this year. The episodes will be similar in nature to, if not adaptations of, the comics. We’re not getting the full-length treatment here, plus it will be some while before any English dub. Subtitles, well, we’ll see.

So now let’s zoom the camera out a bit. We have Splatoon games, comics, memorabilia and merchandise, and an anime all within about three years after the first game’s release. Mario’s first game released in 1983, with a figure set appearing in ’85, and the cartoon series six years later in ’89. Sure, it may not really be fair to compare the two since Mario is much much older and Splatoon had the advantage of better technology boosting its rise to glory and more ways to make itself accessible to the masses. That being said, a cultural phenomenon is a cultural phenomenon, and no one can deny Nintendo’s squid kids have quickly become one. So look forward to the new game and all the stuff coming along with it!

Matt Eschbach is a PC, Mac and Android indie game developer and fiction writer. His works have won multiple monetary awards from various contests. Graduating college in 2012 with a major in Game Design, Matt spends his time making stuff up and then building it. His favorite hobby... is sleeping.